It’s May 2025. Alfie Whiteman has just won his first major trophy with Tottenham. The academy graduate collects a Europa League medal after the 1-0 win over Manchester United in Bilbao. Whiteman was in the prime of his careerGettyAt 26, with his contract expiring at the end of June, the England youth goalkeeper has some decisions to make about his future. But what happened next was rather unexpected – and also unbeknown to the wider public until now. Whiteman was released by Spurs and became a free agent – nothing out of the ordinary there. But despite interest from clubs in the EFL, the ex-Degerfors loanee did not join a new side. Instead, he retired from football to launch a completely new career away from sport. Whiteman is now working as a photographer and film director for award-winning production company Somesuch.The former goalkeeper has never made any secret of his love for the arts, hosting a monthly music show and sharing film reviews on his public Letterboxd profile online. And breaking the news on Thursday, Whiteman admitted it was in the works for some time. He told The Athletic: “I signed for Spurs at 10 years old. Then I left school at 16 and went straight into this full-time life of football. When I was around 17 or 18, living in digs, I just had this feeling inside of, ‘Is this it?’“Getting on the mini bus, going to training, doing the Sports Science BTEC and going home to play video games. I realised, ‘Oh, I’m not happy here’ from quite a young age.Whiteman’s heart was always in the world of art cultureInstagram @alfie_whiteman“The stereotype of a footballer is generally quite true. It’s the golf, washbag culture. I was that young footballer. I wanted the Gucci washbag and I drove the Mercedes.“You all just become a reflection of each other. You’re a product of your environment. It’s the way football is in this country; it’s so shut off from anything else. You go to training and then you go home, that’s it.“I guess I always felt a little bit different. My team-mates — who I got on well with — called me a hippie. That was their definition. But then, when I was 18, I met my ex-girlfriend, who was a model.“She was a bit older than me. Her best friend was a director. It just started opening my eyes to what life has to offer.“So as I was getting a bit older around 18 or 19, I started meeting new people and realising a bit more about myself, and understanding the football bubble, because it’s so insular.”Whiteman continued: “Football is a short career regardless, even if you do really well, and I knew that I didn’t want to stay in it.Whiteman didn’t take long to find a job on his new career pathInstagram @alfie_whiteman“It was about trying to gain experience and be proactive in learning about these things I was also interested in, but mainly because I was enjoying it, and was surrounded by the kinds of people that were doing what I enjoyed as a job.“They were making things. It was really inspiring.”Heart wasn’t in itWhiteman also revealed he has not been interested in watching football since quietly deciding to hang up his gloves. Despite being on Tottenham’s senior books for eight years, the local lad only made one competitive appearance – a Europa League match in 2020. He was left disillusioned when the club refused his request to go on loan for the 2024/25 season so they could meet UEFA’s training registration rules. After going on trial with clubs in the EFL over the summer, Whiteman got his big break in the production industry after years of side hustles. Whiteman was only given one chance in between the sticks for Tottenham after 16 years at the clubGettyHe does have a Europa League medal to show for his efforts, thoughGetty“I ended up going to assist my friend for this photography job for Vibram (a footwear company known for their ‘five finger’ shoes) at the World Toe Wrestling Championships,” he said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll come hold the lights!’ And the day before that shoot, they asked for a video, too, so I was like, ‘I’ll do it. I’ll do it!’“There was no budget or brief, nothing. I turned up with him on the day and ran around with my camera, and then took it to an editor, sat with him, and made this thing and it got posted.”It got five-star reviews and weeks later Whiteman was signed to Somesuch. As for football, the 27-year-old has ambitions to work at the 2026 World Cup in his new guise. And his goalkeeping days are not completely over…“I’m really excited to go and play on a Wednesday night with my mates,” he added. “I’ve had a load of friends inquiring! I just enjoy playing football with my friends. It’s pure.”